A hooded, axe-wielding killer lurks around a large rural villa which has been converted into an asylum. It begins when a woman, named Ruth, is committed to the clinic by her husband. She attempts to escape by assaulting an orderly as well as attempt suicide, but is restrained. One of the residents, named Cheryl, is visited by her husband, Mr. Hume, who had committed her because of a suicide attempt due to her stressful job working as head of their company. Mr. Hume talks with the clinic director Dr. Francis Clay and his associate, Dr. Austin, about the possibility of Cheryl being cured. Dr. Clay tells Mr. Hume that Cheryl's suicidal urges may relapse once she is released, but Hume thinks that his wife only needs some more rest at the clinic.